Search form

Search form

According to data from Deloitte's Physician Perspectives Survey, doctors expect continued physician integration with hospital systems in the next few years. The survey also assessed views on accountable care organizations and new payment models, finding doctors who are involved in ACOs have seen some quality improvements. Researchers also noted 70% of physicians said they were satisfied with their jobs.

Related Summaries

Accountable care organizations are taking off and gastroenterologists need to understand the hospital-, physician- and insurance-owned models, said Dr. Patrick Takahashi, chief of the Gastroenterology Section at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles. He said each model works, but distribution of funds can be different among the models. Specialists should consider joining multiple ACOs, Takahashi noted.

Physician participation in accountable care organizations grew almost 20% from 2011 to 2013, according to data presented in Medscape's 2014 Physician Compensation Report. Data also showed more physicians who are not part of an ACO but planned to join one.

Health insurers will continue to drop physicians from their networks in response to Affordable Care Act pressures and favor contracts with accountable care organizations, large physician groups and hospitals that hire doctors, experts said. Insurers also will increase their focus on quality measures, they say.

Hospital leaders should consider pitfalls that could pose serious problems for an up-and-coming accountable care organization as more doctors, payers and hospitals become involved in integrated care. Initial collaboration among hospitals and physician groups is essential, as are quality measures to evaluate ACO success and a patient-centric approach.

A Beacon Partners survey of more than 200 provider systems found that 92% have started the planning or development phase for the creation of an accountable care organization, but 48% say they don't know how the move will affect their groups. Most of the organizations surveyed were hospitals. Perceived barriers to the advance of ACOs included undefined policies and confusion over their structure, high upfront costs, and regulatory issues, the survey found.